The Truth Quest Podcast

Ep. 62 - The Truth About Gold and Sound Money

Most people are aware of inflation. They expect the cost of products and services to go up every year. What these same people may not be aware of is the fact that this perpetual inflation is completely unnecessary.
If the United States had a sound money policy, meaning the U.S. Dollar was pegged to gold (on a gold standard) most of the angst around monetary policy, interest rates, the national debt, out of control government spending, inverted yield curve, negative interest rates, and cryptocurrencies would be nothing but noise.
In this episode we examine the history of a gold standard. We scrutinize actions taken by FDR, Nixon, the Federal Reserve and their impact on the worldwide economy. The bottom line is, because the gold standard constrains the spending of our overlords in Washington, D.C., they will never willingly revert back to that standard. Unfortunately the United States is in for a rude awakening as other countries have started accumulating gold reserves as a way to diversify away from the U.S. Dollar's reserve currency status.
Show Notes:
Think Bitcoin is the New Gold 2.0 - Think Again
The Gold Standard 
Your Move Gold Critics, Please Explain What Money Is
In Dismissing the Gold Standard, John Cochrane Channels Tina Fey
Central Banks of Gold Buying Spree Over Dollar Worries
Central Banks are Buying Gold Fastest Pace in Six Years
Russia, China Continue Massive Substitution of Dollar Assets into Gold
In Money We Trust: Documentary
Funding the Monster State: FDR, Nixon versus the Gold Standard
Alan Greenspan: Ron Paul Was Right About the Gold Standard
Ron Paul's Appearance on Judge Napolitano's Fox Show 
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #27- The Truth About the Federal Reserve: An Introduction
Episode #28 - The Truth About the Federal Reserve: The Results
Episode #56 - The Truth About Libra - Facebook's Cryptocurrency
APMEX: Buy Gold and Siver
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on The Truth Quest Podcast Rumble, BitChute, Brighteon, and Thinkspot. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 61 - The Truth About the Chinese Social Credit Score System

China’s social credit score system has been in the news lately. The more I learned about it, the more I saw its implications in America. Is something like this the future of how all governments control their subjects? Who needs laws and courts and constitutional rights when you can be steered, jeered and cajoled by a social credit score?
Show Notes
Twitter | Apple | Rumble | BitChute |  |  | Substack
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Chinese Social Credit Score Prevents 2.5 Million Discredited Entities from Buying Plane Ticiket
Silicon Valley is Building a Chinese Style Social Credit System
China's Terrifying Social Credit Surveillance System is Expanding
Forget 1984 We're Facing a Brave New World
China's Social Credit System Explained
China’s Social Credit Systems and Public Opinion: Explaining High Levels of Approval
Rumble, BitChute, Brighteon and Thinkspot. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.
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Ep. 60 - The Truth About Do Something - Red Flag Laws

Following the two most recent mass shootings, the usual cries of DO SOMETHING have resurfaced as they always do following attacks or a crisis. After the Las Vegas shooting, we heard cries for a ban on bump stocks; today it's calls for red flag legislation. These laws, also known as Gun-Violence Restraining Orders, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders allow family members and mental health professionals to petition a court for an order enabling legal authorities to temporarily remove guns from those who are deemed to be a significant danger to themselves or others.
As is often the case with these DO SOMETHING solutions, it sounds good on the surface but what is the truth? Listen to find out.
Show Notes:
Bipartisan Red Flag Gun Laws Plan Has Support in Congress
Red Flag Laws; Second Amendment Advocates Warn Trump About Support for Gun Reform Measures
Red Flag Laws or How to Repeal the Second Amendment Soviet Style Without a Pesky Vote
Rhode Island ACLU Analysis of Red Flag Legislation
Maryland Officers Serving Red Flag Gun Removal Order Fatally Shoot Armed Man
Chinese Social Credit Score Prevents 2.5 Million Discredited Entities from Buying Plan Tickets
Red Flag Laws: Oppose the Disease at Its Beginning
Brief History of the Income Tax
Cornell Law - The Presumption of Innocence
Debunking the Patriot Act as It Turns 15
The Enforcement Problems with Gun Grabbing Red Flag Laws Are Even Worse Than You Think
Revealing the Truth About Gun Control, Red Flag Laws and the Second Amendment
Red Flag: The Dangerous Urge to Do Something
Fee.org:
Bipartisan Support for Gun Confiscation is Growing
Red Flag Gun Laws Are a Page Out of Dystopian Science Fiction Novels
Red Flag Gun Laws Turn Due Process on Its Head
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #37 – The Truth About the BOR – The Incorporation Doctrine
Episode #59 – The Truth About What We Agree On
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, BitChute, Brighteon and Thinkspot. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 59 - The Truth About What We Agree On

I don't know about you but sometimes I get tired of discussing all the areas where we disagree politically or on public policy issues. In this episode I attempt to focus on things that most of us agree on such as government spending, right-to-try laws, the surveillance state, sound money, war, tort reform, term limits, the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty.
Does it not make sense to first focus on the few things in which we agree and then circle back to the numerous head-butting issues that divide us?
Show Notes:
Little Public Support for Reductions in Federal Spending
Will Trump's Backing Revive Moribund Term Limits Movement?
Study Shows Police Lying about Asset Forfeiture
Poverty in the U.S. Was Plummeting—Until Lyndon Johnson Declared War On It
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #2 - The Truth About Abortion - What About the Baby?
Episode #19 - The Truth About Elections and Washington, D.C.
Episode #33 - The Truth About Abortion - Part II - Mental Gymnastics
Episode #46 - The Truth About Roe v. Wade - Sick and Twisted
Episode #47 - The Truth About Roe v. Wade - What They Don't Tell You
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, Brighteon and BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 58 - The Truth About Mass Shootings

As I record this episode, we are living through the aftermath of two mass shootings – one at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas and one in the entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio. The reaction from the Left is as expected. Blame the NRA, blame rhetoric, blame guns, blame a perceived bias in society, blame everyone and everything except the shooters.
The Left has, yet again demonstrated themselves to be political opportunists disguised as compassionate onlookers. Their condemnation discrimination exposes their glaringly obvious double standard as they direct unfounded blame, condemnation and vitriol at their political opponents while ignoring the fact that many of these mass murderers are self-proclaimed liberals, socialists and communists.
They ignore mass shootings in Chicago, death and destruction in wars all over the world, and glorify and celebrate the murder of innocent babies in the womb while laying the blame of these mass shootings at the foot of Trump, the NRA and/or anyone who supports the Second Amendment.
Finding a solution is not their objective. Their objective is gun confiscation through liberty-limiting restrictions on gun ownership. The best long-term solution is a return of God to the public square. Short of that other solutions include law enforcement stepping up their game, reforming our mental health system, exploring red flag laws and eliminating gun-free zones.
We discuss all of this and more in this episode.
Show Notes:
Media Focus on Mass Shootings Shows a Disconnect from Actual Crime Trends
FBI Crime Statistics
Babylon Bee: Gun Violence
Mass Shootings Are Not Becoming More Common 
Seven Reasons to Oppose Red Flag Gun Laws
'We Have To Do Something!' Okay, Here Are Some Things We Can Do To Minimize Mass Shootings.
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #2 - The Truth About Abortion - What About the Baby?
Episode #33 - The Truth About Abortion - Part II - Mental Gymnastics
Episode #46 - The Truth About Roe v. Wade - Sick and Twisted
Episode #47 - The Truth About Roe v. Wade - What They Don't Tell You
Episode #55 - The Truth About Freedom from Religion
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, BitChute and Brighteon. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 57 - The Truth About Free Stuff

I have to be honest, I am more than a little embarrassed that I felt compelled to publish this episode. How did we get to a place in America where people fall for the “free stuff” chant from politicians? It wasn't long ago that the majority of Americans would have laughed in the face of a politician that offered them something for nothing?
Instead we are faced with an entire political party whose most persuasive argument for voting for them is, to some extent or another, to make promises to give voters free stuff.
Free healthcare for you! Free college for you! Free abortions! Free eye glasses! Free hearing aids! Free dental coverage!
These people are experts at two things: Pandering and spending other people’s money on other people. Buying votes with other people’s money is as low as it gets.
Show Notes:
The Peril of Democratic Socialism
Is Democratic Socialism Better Than Other Types of Socialism
The Dangerous Seduction of "Free"
Can Americans Resist the Siren Song of Free Stuff?
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #12 - The Truth About Socialized Medicine
Episode #31 – The Truth About Socialism – Part I
Episode #32 – The Truth About Socialism – Part II
Episode #36 - The Truth About Billionaires
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, Brighteon and BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.
 

Ep. 56 - The Truth About Libra - Facebook's Cryptocurrency

Facebook’s recent congressional testimony before the House Financial Services Committee regarding their proposed cryptocurrency, Libra, caught my attention. It got me wondering: where in the Constitution does it grant the federal government the power to regulate a cryptocurrency or a social media platform? I posed that question on the Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page and immediately started researching this episode.
The truth is that cryptocurrencies in general and the Libra specifically pose a threat to many entities - central banks, power hungry government officials, and too-big-to-fail banks.
In this episode I explain what Libra is and examine the threat posed by it and other cryptocurrencies. Along the way we discuss the benefits of cryptocurrencies, congressional overreach, sound money, central banks and the concept of private money.
Show Notes:
Libra White Paper
Libra House Hearing
G7 Urges Strict Libra Regime, Eyes Minimum Tax
Alternative Currencies Such as Bitcoin are a Valuable Insurance Policy Against Feckless Government
Does Libra Threaten Monetary Sovereignty?
Fee.org
Why This Economist is Skeptical of Facebook's Grandiose Claims About the Libra
Why Facebook's New Cryptocurrency is No Threat to Bitcoin
Mises.org
Libra: Competitor to Inflationary Central Banks
Facebook's Fake Money
It's No Bitcoin: Facebook's Libra Currency Tied to Government Currencies
https://mises.org/wire/idea-alternative-currencies-going-mainstream
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The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, BitChute and Brighteon. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 55 - The Truth About Freedom From Religion

I came across an article about a lawsuit brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation against an Ohio middle school over their display of the Ten Commandments, a gift from the Class of 1926. As I read through the FFRF's press release, I grew more and more confused and irritated. Among other things, they applauded "the district for taking action to remedy this violation." That word, "violation" struck my curiosity but it only took two sentences later to find out what they were referring to - the Supreme Court's propensity to find religious displays, such as the Ten Commandments, unconstitutional as violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
This sent me on a quest for the truth about this anti-intuitive idea of freedom "from" religion.
Show Notes:
Original Intent, David Barton
92 Year Old Ten Commandments Plaque Removed School After Atheists Complain
Ohio School Removes Religious Plaque Following FFRF Intervention
Institute for Justice
Alliance Defending Freedom
Landmark Legal Foundation
Truth Quest Podcast Episodes:
Episode #14 – The Truth About Obamacare
Episode #16 – The Truth About the Supreme Court
Episode #23 – The Truth About Nullification
Episode #37 – The Truth About the Bill of Rights
Episode #46 – The Truth About Roe v. Wade - Part I
Episode #47 – The Truth About Roe v. Wade - Part II
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot and BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 54 – The Truth About the Citizenship Question on the Census

Recently the Supreme Court issued an opinion regarding the Trump Administration’s effort to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census. We've been told by leading Democrats that the inclusion of the question is an effort to marginalize minorities, scare immigrants and, as Nancy Pelosi said, “making America white again.”
But what is the truth (and history) of this question and the census?
Show Notes:
Trump's Citizenship Question Isn't Controversial: Obama Deleting It Should've Been
The American Public Overwhelmingly Supports a Citizenship Question on 2020 Census Comments
Poll: Majority Say the Census Should be Able to Include Citizenship Question
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot and on BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 53 - The Truth About Earnings Disparity in Professional Soccer

In Episode #41, I covered the truth about the gender pay gap and refuted the often-cited statistic that women earn $0.77 on the dollar that men earn for the same work.   
Suffice it to say, I thought I was done with this topic but over the last month, during the women’s World Cup soccer tournament, we have been inundated with news commentary, articles, and social justice sermons disguised as ESPN Sports Center episodes on earnings disparity in professional soccer. So now I am forced to jump back into the fray and expose another opportunistic faux outrage.
Show Notes:
Episode #41 - The Truth About the Gender Pay Gap
Earnings Parity in Women's Soccer a Long Kick Away
Consumers Will Decide if Women's Sports Teams Get Equal Pay
Wikipedia - National Women's Soccer League Attendance
BBC - Women's Soccer League One: Clubs Enjoy Record Attendance
SoccerStats.com - Attendance
An Easy Fix for Soccer's Gender Pay Gap
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, and on BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.